Temecula Valley Emerging as Epicenter of Local Food and Agriculture in Riverside County

January 11, 2016 | AJ Hughes

Grass-fed beef, yams, ostrich eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs, wild game—all of these and more can be found in or near Temecula, California.

Located in southwestern Riverside County and at the southwest point of the Inland Empire region, Temecula is located in the Temecula Valley, home to many vineyards and wineries.

While Temecula is now a thriving epicenter of the local foods movement, this was not always the case.

When local food artisan and chef Leah Di Bernardo decided to move back to Southern California from New York City (she grew up on both coasts), Riverside County was the last place she thought she would end up. But she landed in Temecula. Read More

Vista, California-based Solutions Farms Combats Family Homelessness with Aquaponics Training

January 10, 2016 | Trish Popovitch

In addressing homelessness with an aquaponics training program, Solutions Farms provides an opportunity for families to regain not only their financial footing and place in the community, but also their security and happiness. Solution Farms is a program that was created by Solutions for Change, a Vista, California-based nonprofit established in 1999 to address local family homelessness in innovative ways.

Kevin Gorham is the aquaponics specialist at Solution Farms. He came to the initiative with little experience, but plenty of enthusiasm.

“I heard about this place being built, so I drove over here and introduced myself. I just kept bothering them and telling them I’d like a job here. Once the system was up and going, they hired me to stay on and help manage and run it,” says Gorham. “I learned a lot more through my hands-on experience working here over the last three years.” Read More

New Data Collection Toolkit Allows Urban Farmers to Measure Progress

January 5, 2016 | Anne Craig

Urban farmers and gardeners now have a brand new way to measure their results and gather hard data thanks to the Farming Concrete Data Collection Tool Kit.

The project originated in New York City in 2009 as a collaborative venture between nonprofits Added Value Farms and the Design Trust for Public Space. The data collection tools are intended to help individual farmers quantify what they are doing in ways that will help them both improve and promote their farms. Read More

Urban Ag Entrepreneur Utilizes Innovative Business Model to Transform Backyards into Micro Farms

January 4, 2016 | Traci Knight

When Sean Conway of Lakewood, Colorado observed his neighbors watering and mowing the grass in rarely used yards, inspiration struck. He saw an opportunity to utilize those spaces for a higher purpose: to localize the food system in his neighborhood.

“It seemed silly,” says Conway while describing his new business, Micro Farms. After learning how to farm in the Peace Corp, Conway solidified his idea while working for a nonprofit in Wyoming where produce was grown for low-income populations. Read More

18 Ways to Eat Sustainably in 2016

December 31, 2015 | Davina van Buren

Getting ready to put together those New Years’ resolutions? If eating more sustainably is among them, here’s a quick guide to get you started.

1. Can, freeze and dehydrate all year.

Put up foods like berries and summery fruits and veggies throughout the year instead of buying them out of season. This way you can still cook with local foods even in the dead of winter. Save money by patronizing you-pick farms for berries and vegetables in the summer; apples, pears and pumpkins in the fall. Read More